Box-car unloader



H. D. PRATT.

BOX CAR UNLOADER.

FILED JAN=20,1921- Jan. 23, 1923.

3 SHEETSSHEET I.

Nll

' Jain. 23, 1923.

H. D. PRATT.

BOX CAR UNLOADER. FILED JAN-20, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET L- H. D. PRATT.

BOX CAR UNLOADER.

FILED JAN-20, 1921.

Jan. 23, 1923.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- Patented Jan. 23, 1923.

- 1,443,240 NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOWELL D. PRATT, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, AS SI GNOR TO LINK-BELT COMPANY, OF CHIOQO, ILLINOIS, A. CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

BOX-CAR UN LOADER.

Application filed January 20, 1921. Serial No. 438,601.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOWELL D. PRA'rr, a citizen of the United States, 'residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Box-Car Unloaders, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a box car unloader which can be located at one side of a track and which can be moved into position through one of the central doors of a box car and can be extended so that the scoop can be operated to remove substantially the entire contents of a car, discharging it through one of the central doorways.

In the accompanyingdrawing- Fig. 1 is a side view, illustrating my improved car unloading apparatus and a car with the boom of the apparatus extending into the car;

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the apparatus in the position illustrated in Fig. 1 with the car in dotted lines;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3, Fig. 2, showing the boom and power hoe in full lines;

Fig. 4'is a side view illustrating a modification of the apparatus;

Fig. 5 is a shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the reaving of the scoop ropes; and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of Fig. 2, showing one'forin of mechanism for driving the winding drums.

1 is a track on which the car is mounted.

2 is a box car of the ordinary type, having, in the present instance, central doors, 3, of the ordlnary width. 4 is a platform at the side of the track 1, and mounted on this platform is a mast 5 adapted to swing on afoot plate 6- at the lower end, and in a'bearing 7 at the upper end supported by guy rods 8, anchored to the platform 4 or to any suitable fixed support. 9 is a boom pivotally mounted. on .the mast 5, and lO'is a strut connected to the boom by a vertical member 11. This boom is of such length that it can swing into and out of'the opening in the body of the car when the car is in .proper position in respect to the platform.

A short' mast 12 is swivelled in hearings in the boom 9 and strut 10. A plate 13011 the mast rests on a plate 14 on the strut. Secured to the boom 9 is'a plate 15 having plan view of the apparatus sheave 30 is on the "boom. Attached to the rear end of the scoop msm is a series of perforations therein, shown clearly in Fig. 2, and mounted on the short mast is a second boom'16, having a strut 17,

a pin 18 extends openings in the ring 15 into .an opening in the boom 16 when said boom is adjusted in the proper position. By boom is fixed after adjustment. At the bottom of the main mast 5 is a perforated plate 19, and a pin 20 passes through one of the perforations in this plate and into an opening into the platform 4 so as to hold the main boom 9 in position to which it is adjusted. Other means of fastening the two booms may be used without departing from the essential features of the invention. The boom 16 has a telescopic arm 21, which may be moved longitudinally in the boom 16 by any suitable apparatus. In the present instance I have shown a telescopic section having a series of perforations 22 and a pin 23 extending through the boom and through one of the perforations; but in some instances the telescopic arm as in Figs. 4 and 5, by a fastened to a lug 21 21 and passes around of the boom 16 and around an "operating drum 26 and back to the lug 21". The drum is mounted on a shaft adapted to a bracket secured ,to the side of the boom 16 and is provided with an operating wheel. When the drum is turned in one direction, the arm 21 will be projected, and when turned in the opposite direction, the arm will be retracted.

rope 24 which is on the telescopic arm a pulley 25 on the end slred so as to accumulate a certain amount of material as it passes over the pile of material, or may be designed to push the material before it to the doorway 3. This scoop is connected to a rope 28 at the forward end which passes around sheaves 29 and 30 tofthe rope control mechanism 31 on the platform 4 The sheave 29 is on the strut 17 of the second boom, while the strut 10 of the first 27 is a rope 32 which passes around a sheave 33 on the end of the'telescopic arm 21 and around a sheave 34 on'the short 'mast 12, then .around a sheave 35 on the first boom to sheaves 36' and 37 on the mast 5' to the rope control mechanism 31. This mecha-v power driven. In the present in-. stance a gas engine 38 is ShQW ut any through one of the this means the 27 1s a scoop which may be of any form demay be adjusted, I

suitable power may be used and the ropes 32 and 28 may be separate ropes or may be connected as desired, and the rope drums 39 and 4:0 of the power mechanism are so controlled by the operating lever 41 that while the scoop is moving in one direction, one rope is taut and the other is slack. and when the scoop is reversed, the ropes are also reversed.

One means of reversing the movement of the drums is shown in Fig. 7. I lay no claim to this means, as it is common in the art. and other means may be used, if desired.

In Figs. 4: and 5 I have shown a modification in which the second boom may be turned by a worm and worm wheel. the worm wheel. 15 taking the place of the ring 15. and engaging with the teeth of this worm wheel is a worm 42 mounted 011 a shaft 43 turned by a handle 44. This construction may be used also for the first boom if desired.

It will be seen that I am enabled to provide a simple and convenient device for unloading box cars which can be located in a fixed position at one side of a track and which can be so manipulated as to enter the doorway in the car. and the boom can be lengthened so that the discharging scoop can remove substantially the entire contents of the car through the open doorway. and the apparatus can be turned so that the boom will extend to the opposite end of the car with very little manipulation. hen the material is discharged from the car. it can be discharged into a hopper or a conveyor or other suitable receptacle. and may be discharged directly into a bin where the mechanism is on an overhead structure. While I have shown the apparatus mounted on a from the essential features of the invention.

I claim:

1. The combination of a track arranged to receive a box car to be unloaded, said car having a door opening at one side; a mast arranged in a fixed position and adjacent to the track; a boom arranged to swing into the door OPGIHIIU'; a second boom carried by thetirst mentioned boom and arranged to swing in the interior of the car; an extension on the last mentioned boom; a scoop arranged to draw material from either end of the car towards the center so that it can be discharged through the side door opening, and power mechanism at the first mentioned mast for operating the scoop so that it will reciprocate towards and from the center of the car.

2. The combination of a track arranged to receive a box car to be unloaded; a platform adjacent to the track; a mast projecting from the platform; a boom on the mast; means for locking the boom in position so that its outer end will extend into the door opening of the car; a second boom pivotally mounted on the first boom, having an extension; means for locking the boom and its extension in any position to which it is adjusted; a scoop suspended from the booms and arranged to carry material from either end of the car to the center so that it can be discharged through the side door and the ropes attached to the scoop hoe and controlled by the power mechanism onthe platform.

HOWELL D. PRATT. 

